


I Got Your Six

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crime, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: Beth gets an opportunity to join the FBI's special task force and it comes with an undercover assignment with Rio's gang.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio, Ruby Hill/Stan Hill
Comments: 22
Kudos: 118





	I Got Your Six

**Author's Note:**

> I was sitting at work last week and decided I was tired of being 'essential' so I blocked off time to write and this happened. 
> 
> Beth is a cop with the Detroit PD and Rio is a crime boss. She gets an undercover assignment and what could go wrong?
> 
> I don't own any characters/show and any similarities to other ff's are coincidental
> 
> Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoy!

Growing up Beth loved watching movies about cops and criminals, all the gunfire and high speed chases. Obviously no one dreamed about being in a gang, so it was only right that she joined the police academy and eventually the force.

It was great. She enrolled with Stan and it gave them something to bond over, something other than their love for Ruby. Her five year anniversary was rapidly approaching and all she wanted was to make the FBI's special task force.

Every year they would pick six officers from the local units and assign them to a high profile case, their faces weren't known to the big players, which made it easier to put them undercover. Beth patiently waited for her turn, only it never came. The chief often played favorites with men who needed one last notch in their belts, it was hard out there for a woman.

They were patrolling the streets of Detroit as they did every day, car number D85 and Stan was behind the wheel. It was hour seven of their shift and a car flew past them, fifty in a thirty five. Normally they would have to pull the vehicle over and write them a ticket, but they wanted to avoid writing a report at all costs and decided to let the driver off with a warning.

Beth stepped out and made her way to the front of the squad car, only for the driver to take off on foot. At some point in her career she got tired of tackling men that were twice her size, but now she was left with no choice. 

"We have a runner" Stan radioed in, taking off in the same direction. 

They caught up to him two blocks later, using the taser after he resisted arrest. After running his name through the system, they found out the man had warrants in Michigan and Illinois. So much for avoiding paperwork. 

Beth stuck around, relieving Stan from his report duties so he could go home to Ruby. It was their seven year anniversary and she was not about to explain to her best friend why he was late. It took her thirty minutes, a new personal record.

"Great arrest today, Beth".

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow, Carol" she said, dropping off the report to be signed and filed.

Beth sank down into the tub, letting the warm water soothe her aching body after a long day at work. Her finger brushed over her nipple, trailing down her stomach until she reached her center, rubbing her clit. She needed to unwind.

She eyed the showerhead and stood up to grab it, splashing a little water over the ledge. Selecting the pulse setting, she slipped it under the surface. Her head rolled back, feeling the cold porcelain against her neck. Loosening her grip on the nozzle was a bad idea, the hose twisted and sprayed upwards, making a mess around the bathroom. "Oh my god".

Beth shut it off and placed her hands into the water, unable to get back in the mood. She settled for the next best thing and grabbed a bottle of rosè from the cupboard, pairing it with a Saved by the Bell marathon that was on.

At least Friday was approaching and oh what a good Friday it turned out to be.

After an eight hour shift, the chief kept them for a mandatory meeting which only meant one thing, it was time to find out who made the task force. Beth was giddy with excitement and felt like it was finally her year.

Stan had been chosen twice and turned down the opportunity each time. He and Ruby were trying to start a family and he knew that there were no guarantees in their line of work. They risked their lives every second of every day and whenever they pursued a suspect, it only increased the odds of them being injured on the job. Beth respected his decision. 

She herself had just gotten out of a relationship and could use the distraction. It was either busy herself with work, or the girls could expect multiple knitted scarfs, that was the hobby she took up. His name was Dean, the owner of Boland Motors and at one point in her life she thought he was her soulmate.

It was their three year anniversary when she found out he cheated on her. Beth took a half day and wanted to get home, surprise him with his grandma's famous steak and potatoes, but she was the one who got the shock of her life. 

_"Dean… ok...yeah, no there"._

It was engrained in her mind. He cheated on her with his secretary, Amber, what a cliche. He apologized and groveled, promising never to do it again and Beth had her rose colored glasses on. She forgave him, only to find out two months later he was back at it. To make matters worse, it was Amber who broadcasted it to all their family and friends.

_"I need to get this off my chest, Dean was with me last night. I'm sorry"._

Beth kicked him out of the house, she didn't need him to pay the mortgage. Well, anyways, that was only part of the reason she wanted to be on the task force. The other reason was her job, issuing tickets for jaywalking and taking down teenagers with pot wasn't her idea of fun, it was becoming mundane. She needed more.

"I'm just going to get straight to it, you all know why you're here" the chief started, making a mental note of attendees. "Johnson, you'll be on the illegal arms, we need to find out how they are getting through our ports".

Beth rolled her eyes, of course golden boy Johnson got another one. Every year he's given something to look good in front of the board, they should just give him a promotion at this point. 

"And now for the Vasquez case".

There were audible gasps around the room and a couple leaned forward in their seats, it could make or break someone's career. The case had been temporarily put on hold after two of their officers perished in the line of duty. Both were undercover, both had their covers blown and only one of their bodies had been fully recovered. The other's ears arrived in the mail with a warning note to not try it again, there were fundraisers for both the families.

"The FBI is aware that some of you may have reservations about taking on this case, so they are opening it up to a volunteer. Anyone?".

A deafening silence took over and no one made an attempt to throw their hat in the ring, Stan even muffled a cough beside her so it wouldn't be misinterpreted. 

If no one else wanted to, maybe this was the shot Beth was looking for, so she raised her hand.

"Are you crazy?" Stan asked, brows furrowed. 

"No".

Beth was told to meet up with Theresa before she left to get the details on her cover, profiles of the suspects and what the FBI needed to complete their investigation. It was all so exciting and she couldn't wait to get started. 

Who, a Detroit street gang led by Rio Vasquez. They were believed to have their hands in counterfeit money, drugs and a few dozen murders across the state. 

The notes from the previous officers showed that they only worked with Mick, the right hand man, his alias was Demon and they never came into contact with Rio. Maybe it was going to be harder than she expected. Not that Beth thought she could waltz in and solve the case in seconds, that would be ridiculous. 

From here on out she was Beth Harris, an aspiring master criminal. At thirteen it was petty theft, breaking and entering at sixteen and by twenty, she was dabbling in counterfeit art. They were hoping that tidbit would appeal to an art connoisseur like Rio.

"Stan said they're dangerous, B, are you sure about this?".

"Is he hot?" Annie snagged a folder from the nightstand and started flipping through the pages like it was a magazine. 

"That's confidential".

She found Rio's mugshot from eight years ago, he was twenty eight and got picked up for racketeering. There was no evidence and they had to release him, much to the FBI's chagrin. "He is. You gonna take him to bone town?".

Beth put the pink blouse back onto the bed, trying to pick out a crime wardrobe was difficult when half of what she owned was floral. It also didn't help that her off duty look consisted of sweatpants and a ponytail. "He's a criminal".

"So is Beth Harris. I'm just saying, you deserve to get some".

Ruby shook her head, not wanting anything to do with the bachelorette idea Annie was throwing around. "Go with the red dress, it brings out your eyes".

"And your boobs. What? this Rio might be a boob guy".

Beth needed one last night with the girls, after all who knew when or if she would see them again. She decided to cut off or at least limit communication with them while she was undercover, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if her cover was blown and the gang sought them out to exact revenge. Not to mention how Stan would take it.

The bureau set her up with a quaint, charming apartment above a pho restaurant. It wasn't much and she couldn't bring along personal photos, that made it difficult to settle in. 

She hung up the red gown in the closet, not having much room for anything else, the previous tenant decided it was more suitable for storage. There were two packs of toilet paper, a crock pot, a toaster and what appeared to be a broken ironing board.

Every detail about her cover and Rio's operation had been committed to memory, leaving infiltration to be the only thing left to do. There was still eight hours until she had to make her way to the club and hunt down this man they called Demon, which gave her time to run through every possible scenario and find a way to appear valuable. 

She didn't know how the FBI found out about this fancy gala, but it made her glad she volunteered. Never in her life did she imagine this would be her life, five year old Beth would have been pinching herself right now. 

It was at a country club, soft jazz was playing overhead and champagne was flowing, it was like a dream. In all the glitz, Beth happened to notice Rio. He had on a tux, the red pocket square matching her own gown for the evening and maybe that was fate.

She was two steps away from the red velvet ropes when a man stopped her dead in her tracks. If the facial tattoos and skull covered arms were any indication, Beth had just found Mick. "I want to speak to Rio".

"I don't think you want that, sunshine".

"I think I do".

"Do what?" Rio said, invading her personal space. Her notes didn't mention the large eagle tattoo on his neck. It made him intimidating, but interesting. 

"You".

His brow popped and Beth's eyes dropped, watching as his tongue darted out over his bottom lip. Annie's words from her bedroom and all the references about her vagina becoming a raisin cave came to mind. And while she would never actively pursue a relationship, sexual or otherwise with a man suspected of murder, the way he looked at her had Beth second guessing herself. 

"Is that right?".

Not trusting her voice, Beth nodded and hoped that was enough to move on to a more serious topic, like her joining his organization. 

"What's your poison, hm? A crisp chardonnay?".

"Bourbon on the rocks".

He motioned for her to join him and Beth couldn't help but toss her hair off her shoulder, giving Mick her best _I always get what I want_ look. While Beth Marks didn't, it was clear Beth Harris was having way better luck on the career front. 

It turned out Rio was easy to talk to. She learned that he owned a bar downtown, the name slipped her mind, but he offered to buy her a drink if she stopped by. Beth decided to take him up on that offer, before the case ended of course.

"What about you, Elizabeth?".

"I knit. Every year I make my friends scarfs, they know me at the craft store" Rio smiled as she rambled on about the best types of yarn and shit, that was the real her. "I also do counterfeit art, that's why I wanted to talk to you".

The mood changed and he was no longer light and open, instead he finished his drink and got up to leave. "This was fun, yeah?".

Beth wasn't sure how, but the chief would classify that as a screw up.

It was a long month of popping up at events and trying to get his attention, but the hard work paid off when Rio took her under his wing. Nash, the lead FBI agent on the case was surprised that he took personal interest in her, they assumed he thought newcomers were a waste of time. 

Seeing Rio's operation was something else, it was impressive and done on a grand scale. The cash came in the form of wrapping paper, there were huge roll away dryers and tubs of solution, it wasn't like anything Beth had seen before. Rio walked her around, giving her a brief description of each step, just not enough for her to learn how to do it on her own. Smart.

It was about a week later that they showed her the second half of the empire, the drugs. She was put on test runs, smaller drops until they knew she could be trusted. They had been burned before and Beth knew exactly what they were referring to, the officers from her station.

"You use this before?" Mick questioned, holding up a screwdriver. 

"Once or twice".

He passed it off to her and told her to start the car. A beat down red Chevy that had certainly seen better days. Oh, Beth meant that she had used it around the house, not for stealing a car.

Mick chuckled, sticking the screwdriver in the ignition and wiggled it around until the car roared to life.

"Is this stolen?".

"You don't need to worry about that, just drop off the pills and come back".

It was definitely stolen. There were a few wires hanging onto the floorboard and the dash was cracked. While she had immunity for these crimes, she couldn't help but fear being pulled over.

The address Rio gave her was to a single story house, it had a soiled mattress by the back fence and seemed like a good place to film an episode of dateline. 

Beth opened up the mailbox as instructed and took out the cash, counting to make sure the two grand was there before replacing it with the pills. Easy peasy.

Over the next two months, Beth was brought deeper into Rio's inner circle and started to spend a lot of time at his safe house. 

They would stay overnight to count the cash. Rio took sixty percent and the remaining forty was divvied up to the rest of the employees. Beth noticed how Rio always added a couple extra hundreds to her pile, but didn't want to bring it up.

They got close, so close that his place was practically her home now. Her clothes were mixed in with his and on more than one occasion she's mistakenly grabbed his hoodie, it never fit. Hell, Beth couldn't even remember what the pho smelled like at her old apartment. 

They had plants. An orchid that Beth picked up after one of the drops, having passed a farmers market on the way back to the warehouse. Rio didn't question it, instead told her it could go by the balcony.

Beth saw him watering it one morning and what she felt could only be described as happiness, maybe she was getting too attached. The chief said people often became their cover and that seemed like nonsense, who would willingly join a gang?

"Three hundred grand, it's all here" Beth finished counting, wrapping a green rubber band around the last stack.

Mick was passed out at the kitchen table after one too many beers, neither of them had the heart to wake him. They figured he could sleep it off in the guest room.

"Do you have an extra blanket? I'll sleep out here tonight".

"Nah, you can have mine".

Beth zipped the duffle and turned to face him, "so I can be blamed when you come in cranky? No thanks".

After a little back and forth bickering, because that's what they did best, they decided to share his bed. They were going to sleep at opposite ends and keep a spare pillow between them, that was the plan anyways.

"And you best not kick me in the face" Rio mumbled, turning to his side. 

"I'll go sleep on the couch".

"Don't...do that" he reached over, resting his hand on her thigh.

Beth tossed and turned, it had been far too long since she slept next to another person. Which only made her think about Annie's crude comments and how much she missed the girls. 

"Elizabeth, stop movin".

"I can't sleep".

He grabbed the spare pillow from between them and placed it beside his. "C'mon". Beth started to doze off shortly after moving to the other end, maybe being pressed against Rio did wonders.

"Mornin, love birds" Mick yelled, opening the blinds.

Beth groaned, burying her face into Rio's chest while he mumbled threats of firing Mick. They both knew he wouldn't, loyalty was hard to find in their world.

"You don't cuddle me man, I'm hurt" he joked, dodging a pillow being launched his way, "alright, but I made breakfast".

Pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, they were pretty sure Mick emptied out the refrigerator. He felt bad for making them count the cash on their own, although his suggestive eyebrow wiggling told Beth he was anything but sorry. Nothing even happened between her and Rio, they were both partially clothed and touching was kept to a bare minimum. They were professionals.

Beth booked a salon appointment as a cover for her briefing with Nash. It got more difficult the closer she got to Rio. Her lies had to be ironclad and did she need her nails done every week? no, but it was the easiest way to throw them off. They had no desire to talk about manicures or pedicures and the only paint Mick cared about was on cars. 

"Mick takes in the elderly neighbor's recycling bins, they pay him in cookies and Cisco pays his mom's mortgage".

"And Rio?".

"What about him?".

Nash closed his laptop, "has he said anything about drugs or how they move pills?".

The drugs were shipped down from up North, stuffed in the airbag compartments of used vehicles. The dealers removed the product and then the cars were scrapped for parts. Rio knew it would be harder for the feds to piece together the process if they didn't find the whole car.

"Nope, nothing".

"Ok, we'll meet again in two weeks. Good work, Beth".

She didn't know why she was covering for them now, maybe it was her way of protecting Rio while she still could. Not that he needed it, he had done a fine job the last eight years by himself. 

Beth sat on the couch, knitting what was supposed to be a hat. They had no plans for the day, no meetings, no drops and Mick even went hunting. She could've gone back to her place and ventured downstairs, finally seeing what traditional plates the restaurant had. Instead she found herself at Rio's house, digging through her purse for the spare key. It didn't mean anything, Mick had one too, at least she believed he did.

"Whatcha want for dinner?".

"I wouldn't say no to pizza" she replied, looping a piece of yarn around the tool.

They went over the options and it felt all too normal. She wondered if they were in an alternate universe and she hadn't been tasked with taking him down, if they could've been happy. Beth was picturing a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, although she hoped it had a happier ending. Then again, there wasn't anything stopping them now.

"Don't tell me you want pineapple, mama".

She snapped back to reality, "No, I like pepperoni".

Rio gave a generous tip to the delivery man, having pulled a fifty from their freshly washed cash.

"Please tell me that's pepperoni".

He opened the lid and tilted it in her direction, it was. Rio said it was his least favorite and that he planned on ordering chicken for the topping. Clearly he gave in when she said pepperoni was her favorite, it reminded her of pizza night with the Hills.

Rio moved the ball of yarn to her left side, making room for himself to sit down. "I thought you hated it".

He held up the slice between them and Beth wasn't sure what to do, so she leaned forward and took a bite. 

"I'm going to get me a slice", Beth scurried off the couch, tossing the hat in the process. Deep breaths, that's what was needed, she could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Come with me to the meetin tomorrow".

Beth turned around, plate in hand, "me?".

"Nah" he replied, sarcastically, "I'm jus' sayin, there's more to you than coping art, Elizabeth".

Only Rio went to the meetings, no one else knew who their partners were and they only saw the operation at ground level. It was a step Beth never thought she would see and while she was elated he wanted to share every piece of his empire with her, it also gave her more ammunition against him. Granted she hadn't told the FBI anything juicy since week three, but if she was forced to take a polygraph test, she would be screwed. 

Beth took him up on the offer. 

After desert Beth paced around the guest room, running through the pros and cons of coming clean about everything. Maybe if she told him now instead of later, they could start anew. She didn't want to assume that was the case, but with the way Mick teased Rio, he had to have feelings for her.

Ridding herself of her pajamas, she threw on her robe and made her way down the hall toward Rio's room. There was a big chance that she misread his touches.

Beth lingered outside the doorway, "what are you doing, Elizabeth?".

"I couldn't sleep".

She tugged at the bottom of her robe, the cool breeze hitting her bare legs. 

Rio smirked, fully aware that meant her pants were back in the other room. He slid over and pulled back the covers, a silent invitation to join him. And she did. "Who are we meeting tomorrow?".

"What's under the robe, mama?".

"This?" Beth exposed a shoulder, "I asked you first".

"Vladimir. He's lookin for some shit, we're gonna talk". He glanced down at the tie, challenging her to answer his question next. Beth tossed her robe to the floor and quickly slipped beneath the covers, "goodnight, Rio".

"Damn, that's cold".

Beth bit back a smile, proud of her own self restraint. It wasn't easy, but she won that round. 

Mick had a field day when he walked in and found them in bed together, he had a joke for everything. Beth understood that they were best friends and had worked together for years, but Rio being Beth-merized was not something she wanted to hear at 6AM.

Rio made him hand over his key.

The drive to meet Vladimir was long and it was times like that that Beth wished Ruby or Annie were with her. Annie would be singing and Ruby would be dancing in the passenger seat, they always had the best road trips. When all of this was said and done, they would have to give Canada a try.

They pulled into an abandoned warehouse and it gave Beth the heebie jeebies. There were no cars in the parking lot and two of the doors were bolted shut. It was the third door that budged and Rio led the way, Beth following closely behind. She was out of her comfort zone and not because of the criminal aspect, but because she didn't have a weapon. Yeah, guns were earned. The FBI really shot themselves in the foot putting two officers in the organization so closely together, and now Beth was paying the price.

The floorboards creaked with each step they took and the cobwebs on the windows showed no one had been there in months, years even.

The silence reminded her of the day she volunteered for the case, if there was one, they would've been able to hear a pin drop.

"I don't think -" Mick shushed her, pulling the gun from his waistband.

It wasn't Beth's first rodeo, she had been involved in shootouts before, it was always better when she knew Stan had her six. 

A shot rang out, pinging a metal tin by the door. Mick fired back into the darkness.

Then came another and Beth wasn't going to die a sitting duck, so she held out her hand. "Give me a gun". They had a better chance of getting out alive if they worked together.

Mick huffed and pulled a small gun from his pocket, a back up.

It was the third shot that had Rio pulling Beth behind him, telling Mick to handle it. His right hand man stepped forward, shooting wildly in the direction of their attackers, even going in blind he had better aim than half of Detroit's officers.

Beth was almost out of the warehouse, when she got hit. In her five years on the force, she had never been shot and sure there had been close calls, but Ruby always called her lucky. Now not so much.

She yanked at her sleeve, planning to make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. 

Beth envisioned several ways that she could die during the mission. All of them were at the hands of Rio or Mick, one included a wood chipper and another involved concrete blocks around her feet, but dying at the hands of a third party didn't even crack the top twenty. Beth was going to be left alone to bleed out and a fellow officer would stumble upon her body during a routine check, what was she saying? They never checked warehouses, especially on that side of town.

There was no way in hell Rio or his guys would risk their lives trying to get her out, she was dead weight. Until Rio proved her wrong. 

He scooped her into his arms. Her injured shoulder pressed against his chest and she held back a scream. "You gonna be alright. Hey, stay with me".

Street lights faded to darkness and every couple seconds she would feel a pat on her cheek, Mick tried to keep her awake as Rio weaved through traffic. The cop in her wanted to tell them how dangerous it was to do that and how expensive the ticket would be, but she couldn't muster anything more than a hum.

Rio gently laid her on his bed and applied pressure to the stomach wound, something they had just located in the car. He sent Mick out on a wild goose chase, looking for a doctor, veterinarian, somebody who could save Beth. 

Roughly ten minutes later Mick returned, shoving an older man in a white lab coat into the room. Rio ran a hand over his lower face, "she dies, you die".

He placed his gun on the bed and reached for Beth's hand, watching as the doctor examined her injuries.

"There are three wounds and she's lost a lot of blood".

Rio put his hand on the gun, finger brushing over the trigger, a warning that he wasn't playing around and would shoot the doctor where he stood. Mick's presence in the doorway further solidified that.

The doctor dug through his bag and pulled out a bottle of morphine and a sterile needle, "this will help with the pain".

Beth was pale and tears stained her cheeks.

The makeshift surgery was a success and Beth had passed out shortly after the morphine was dispensed, the doctor was waiting for her to wake. Rio never left her side, in fact Mick found him slumped over the bed, his head resting on their intertwined hands.

A pile of blood soaked paper towels and surgical thread greeted her. Her vision was fuzzy and her body was in a great deal of pain, it was as if she had been hit by a truck, but the reality was that Vladimir unloaded a clip in her. 

Beth shook their hands and Rio groaned, letting his eyes adjust to the light. "Hey mama, how you feelin?".

"Sore".

He hummed, "pain meds are over there".

If it weren't for him, she probably would've died in that warehouse. Annie would've been woken up by the chief in the middle of the night, offering her his condolences and if she were lucky, there would be a fruit basket. Rio stayed by her side the entire time.

"Thank you," Beth said, brushing her thumb over his.

Rio wasn't the heartless monster that the bureau made him out to be. This was proof. Beth was an exception. 

He grabbed a cup of water from the nightstand, a few ice cubes still remained and guided the straw between her lips. It gave a bit of relief to her parched throat. "G'night, Elizabeth".

"Stay?". And he did.

Beth had to cancel her _hair appointment_ per the doctor's orders and she knew that Nash would see it as a red flag, then again she couldn't exactly walk in full of bullet holes and not expect him to assume Rio did it. It was probably for the best.

Rio was incredibly helpful during the recovery process. He helped change the gauze on her wounds, that's how she found out his mom used to be a nurse and don't get her started on the sponge baths. 

He waited until she asked for help reaching her back, then deliberately trailed his finger down her spine, getting her worked up when they knew neither of them could do anything about it. Not yet, so Beth played his game and used her left hand to squeeze her breasts, letting out small whimpers when he entered the bathroom.

She was given a physical therapy schedule. Two laps around the house in the morning, another two before bed and twelve reps with an elastic band to get the strength back in her right arm.

"C'mon, mama, five more".

"It hurts, Rio".

He reached for the band, "alright, I mean if you don't wanna get better".

Beth huffed, continuing on with the exercise. The smug smile on Rio's face annoyed her to no end, but it was coming from a good place. He wanted her back by his side and as much as she wanted that, she also needed to get back to her real job. "..Twelve".

"Doc is swingin by tomorrow".

"I'm going to pass this time".

During the last checkup, the doctor had her roll her shoulder counter clockwise and she screamed, grabbing a hold of her collarbone. He scored her a C and deemed her unready to return. 

"Oh yeah?".

"Yeah" Beth leaned forward, pecking his lips. It had been on her mind for awhile and if the case was going to blow up in her face, she might as well listen to her heart.

She went to apologize, but Rio rushed forward to recapture her lips, bumping her face in urgency. A moan from Beth ultimately brought their frolic to a crashing halt. 

Rio slouched back in his chair and Beth let out a chuckle, running her fingers through her hair. At least it wasn't one sided, not that it made her job any easier.

"I gotta handle something tonight".

"Vladimir?".

His jaw tightened and that answered her question. They were going to settle the score for what Vladimir and his men put Beth through. "Be careful".

Everytime Beth closed her eyes, she'd picture herself arresting Rio and finding out days later that he'd been shivved in the yard, or was it shanked, see this is why she needed Annie around. Her dreams were a lot clearer when Rio was near, call it a safety blanket. She would climb into his bed at an ungodly hour and instead of kicking her out, he pulled her back against his chest. It wasn't healthy and Beth knew that, but it worked.

Beth flipped through the tv channels, debating if she was in the mood for a trashy reality show or a sitcom, then she found below deck. It was Ruby and Stan's guilty pleasure and even though she had no idea what it was about, it now had her undivided attention, that was until Rio came in with blood spatters on his shirt. The one day he wore grey.

Call her crazy, but she expected his after-murder face to be more cheerful. "Is he?".

"Nah, got his boy Artie".

Rio stepped into the shower and left the glass door open, not concerned with the water collecting on the tiles. Beth bit her lip, presented with an internal battle of going back to bed or following him inside. And fuck it. She unclasped her bra and pulled down her shorts, letting her feet lead the way. 

Beth placed a couple kisses across his back, feeling the water trickle down her face. "I'm fine, Rio, you still got me".

He blocked the stream with his hand as he turned around and lifted her chin, "I got you".

She held onto his forearm and pushed up on her toes, pulling him into a kiss. Rio was going to kill Vladimir when he got his hands on him, but she wasn't going to let it overcome him and ruin their time together. Because as much as it pained her, it was limited and eventually the FBI would break them up, end whatever it was between them.

"Arms getting stronger, huh?".

Beth smiled, "I told you I'll pass this time".

She went all out for the checkup, baking cinnamon rolls and cookies. Over the last couple visits she realized the doctor was in constant fear, believing that when it was all said and done there would be a bullet with his name on it. That wasn't the case at all. Rio was paying him for the services, the final installment was sitting on the table. 

Dr. Jones went through the same checklist as before. Up, down, clockwise, bend down and touch her toes. It was exhausting and repetitive, but even in the crime world Rio needed to protect his employees, or at least Beth. From what she gathered from Mick, Cisco got shot in the leg a few years back and had to dig it out himself. 

"I'm happy to say you've made a full recovery. I'll leave my number for _you_ in case you need anything".

Beth was proud of herself. She practically raised Annie at sixteen and paid her own way through school, but sitting at home and not working was by far the hardest thing she's done.

Mick walked the doctor out to his car, probably threatening to murder everyone he knew if he talked to the police, the irony wasn't lost on Beth.

"I told you".

He chuckled, "yeah. Yeah, you told me".

They went out to celebrate, just the two of them and she finally got to see this bar he always went on about. It was packed and the music was loud, there even was art work on all of the walls. The icebox, an interesting name that his sister chose. Another fact she didn't know prior to the case, it turned out he had two of them.

"I have a sister, Annie and a friend who's practically family, Ruby, so I know the feeling".

"You don't miss 'em?".

Beth pondered the question, "I'll see them soon". _Hopefully not too soon._

"Bring 'em over, Mick can dig out the grill".

She blinked, he wanted to meet them, no that would be impossible for several reasons. One, the girls knew about the case and who Rio was and two, Ruby would shit her pants if there was a gun at the dinner table.

Someone drummed on the table and pulled out a chair, um, unwelcomed much? Beth's eyes widened when she saw Greg, making himself comfortable beside them. 

"Annie, over here" he waved and great, just great.

Rio wasn't dumb, he was incredibly smart and even if he wasn't, it wouldn't take much to put two and two together. 

"Beth?" Annie asked, fear evident on her face when she spotted Rio. "What are you doing here?".

Her cheeks turned pink, how could she explain when she couldn't make sense of it herself. 'Oh hey, Annie. It's kind of a date with the guy I'm supposed to arrest. Funny story, he saved my life and now we shower together', she would look ridiculous. Beth was always the strong one, the put together one and this, what she was doing with Rio was borderline reckless. 

"Rio owns the bar".

"You got cinnamon schnapps, five stars in my book" Greg slurred, further amusing Rio.

"Yeah, man. Knock yourself out".

Annie excused herself to the bathroom and dragged Beth along, unapologetically. There was a fifty- fifty chance that Greg might be passed out when they got back, the other option was Rio taking him out back and making him eat a glock, either way they shouldn't hide out in the stall all night. 

" _Rio owns the bar,_ really?".

"He does, don't look at me like that".

She pulled out her phone and started to facetime Ruby, believing that would help Beth get back to her senses. "She's boning the gang leader".

"I am not".

"B, talk to us".

Beth dropped the lid with a clank and sat down on the toilet. All she wanted was to talk it out with someone, even though she would have to go through mandatory therapy when it was over. The girls were there for her in the beginning and she knew they would be for her now, but sharing this information with them would be a burden and god forbid Stan found out.

"I don't know if I can go through with this. He's not…".

"Oh, baby girl".

Beth squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears that threatened to fall, "I'm going to get fired and Rio's going to hate me".

They talked her off the ledge and reminded her why she even took the case in the first place. It was to prove herself to the department, to show that she was just as much a badass as the men and it wasn't for a man. Beth needed that. When Annie heard about Rio's dinner invitation, she instantly RSVP'd, she was far too eager to see where her sister was living.

_"If you're not at the pho place, where are you? No! His?"._

Annie wrote down their address on a napkin with a dull tube of lipstick and tossed it in her purse, ensuring that she'd drag Ruby along, even if it was against her will.

Her family didn't scare Rio off, he openly answered questions up until they decided to leave. Annie asked about his work and he simply replied with, "this bar", Beth prayed her sister would drop it. There would already be repercussions from the station if they knew Beth had left case files out for anyone's viewing pleasure. 

By the time they got home they were a little tipsy and fully aware of what they'd do next. Everything had been leading up to this moment, and having seen each other naked already broke that awkward barrier. 

Rio yanked on the neckline of her shirt, ripping it and exposing her white bra. It wasn't lace and it didn't have fancy bows, she left those at home. None of this was supposed to happen, but Rio didn't seem to mind, it wasn't like it'd be on for long. The kiss was desperate, teeth clashing and they found themselves trying to catch their breath. 

"Where at, Elizabeth?".

She eyed the kitchen counter, there's a first time for everything.

Beth unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor below and quickly followed with her pants. The marble was cold on her ass, but then his hands were on her hips, sliding her closer to the edge. Heat spread throughout her body, between her legs and all the way up to her cheeks.

Rio leaned down and Beth shifted, getting her leg up on his shoulder. It cracked, of all times for her hip to pop.

Beth laughed, tossing her arm over her face. "Oh my God".

He joined in, stroking her inner thigh, "you gonna hold up, mama?".

She swat at his arm. It really wasn't funny, it now ranked in her top three most embarrassing moments, right behind tripping up the stairs at her middle school graduation. Ruby never let her forget.

Rio's tongue flicked her clit, then pulled back. "Cause I can't have you dyin on me".

"Rio-".

He hummed against her, sucking on her clit. Not even the salt shaker in her peripheral could tell her it was a bad idea. Beth pushed up on her elbow, just slightly, enough to see Rio between her thighs. It wasn't something Dean did and the one time he attempted, she had to finish herself.

Slipping in a finger, he allowed her to adjust before adding a couple more. Beth grinded against them, gripping his wrist when he hit just right. "Yeah...oh".

"You like that?".

"Mm.."

The pressure built in her stomach and her moans got louder. Rio pushed her thighs apart, not letting up until she was writhing beneath him.

Beth slid off the counter, legs wobbly as she tried to regain her footing and turned around, bending over the counter. Rio stroked himself and lined up, waiting for Beth's green light. 

She moved back, releasing a growl from the back of his throat. "Spank me". Rio didn't need to be asked twice, his palm hit her cheek and his cock twitched at the moan she let out.

Beth rubbed her clit, knowing Rio had to be close when his hands gripped her hips, thrusts becoming more frantic. 

They were breathing heavy, both spent and there was quite a mess around them. Beth wasn't even sure when she knocked the spice rack off the counter. 

"Round two?" she asked, glancing toward the bathroom. Rio's tongue ran across his bottom lip and he nodded, "your hip up for it?".

Beth mirrored his smile, he really was the worst.

There was no way other officers hadn't succumbed to temptation, feelings could only be buried down for so long before they exploded to the surface. 

Beth wiggled out of Rio's hold and quickly jotted down a note, saying she was running to the store and would be back soon. It was a half truth. She needed to meet with Nash beforehand and well, she wasn't really sure what to tell him. 

"Nice to see you showed up today, Miss Marks".

That was deserved, in her defense they told her not to contact them unless it was an emergency, and recovering from a gunshot wound didn't qualify as one in her book. But still, Nash probably waited for hours not knowing if she was dead or alive and that was on her.

"I was incapacitated, but I have something for you".

He mumbled something snarky about her finally having useful information after a year. Now that was uncalled for, Beth had given tons of details, way more than the other two guys had. And yes, they were dead, but that further proved her point. The FBI needed her.

"Vladimir Petrov. Russian arms dealer, yeah, he's linked to Johnson's case".

"How did Vladimir get on your radar?".

Beth giggled, "he shot me".

Shock, maybe horror, she wasn't quite sure what the look Nash was going for. She expected an apology, for him to connect the dots and realize that was the reason she missed the last briefing, but it never came.

"Did Rio put him up to it? Do they work together? Johnson is going to love this".

What? No. This guy was a dick, and here Beth was supposed to sacrifice Rio so he could get a promotion. No, hell no.

"Rio saved me. Vladimir ambushed us at a warehouse. He said he wanted to expand his business and wanted to test the waters".

There was silence and Beth restrained herself from yelling about it being her case, that she wasn't handing it over to Johnson just because the paths crossed. 

"Have you been compromised, Miss Marks? I see bruises on your neck, is that from Mr. Vasquez?".

Beth rolled her eyes, "Rio didn't hurt me and I can handle myself".

Nash turned his laptop around, showing photo after photo of dismembered bodies resting in shallow graves. "He is a dangerous man and you shouldn't underestimate him".

"Like I said, he won't hurt me".

She ran to the grocery store and grabbed a few last minute items for dinner, the one where Ruby and Annie planned on stopping by, the one she wasn't prepared for. Her world's were colliding and the outcome was unknown.

Neither of their cars were along the street which was a good sign. Rio was a smoothtalker and irritatingly charming, she couldn't risk either of them spilling the beans about her real job. Beth already felt guilty about it.

What Beth walked into was like an ad. Rio was grilling burgers and Mick was washing lettuce, it was all so, domestic. "Hey, you picked up tomatoes, right?".

"Yeah" her brows met as Mick held out his hands, wanting her to toss him one at a time. What happened to the big, scary, gang members from a couple nights ago? The ones who were determined to gut Vladimir and were ready to kill an innocent doctor if she flatlined.

"What did you do with Rio, hmm?" Beth joked, running her fingers over his bar tattoos. 

His lips tugged upwards and there was always a little pitter patter to her heart when they did. Beth was in real trouble, but she wasn't the only one. When his boys found out that he let a cop into the organization, into the business dealings and into his bed, there'd be backlash similar to hers at the station. The difference being Rio was the boss.

"Hey, love birds, I better be gettin paid since I'm doin all this cooking".

Beth hated when he called them that, couldn't Mick get on one of those apps that combined names? Let's see, Beth and Rio. Reth, Beio, Brio - that one didn't sound bad, maybe she could pitch it and make it appear like his idea.

"I ain't payin you".

Why couldn't the FBI be interested in those interactions? Nash refused to write down anything that didn't fit their narrative, the one that painted them all as savages who wanted to slaughter everyone in sight and burn money over their bodies. That wasn't who they were, but only Beth saw that.

The doorbell rang and Mick dropped the knife, "there's your girls".

They gathered around the table, eating in silence. Beth pulled over a small ottoman to sit on so Annie could have a chair, she let Ruby have hers because surprise, she was pregnant. 

Beth was overjoyed, she knew how hard Ruby and Stan had been trying. They deserved all the happiness in the world and she couldn't wait to meet their little bundle of joy. Auntie Beth, she liked the sound of that.

"Know what you havin?" Rio broke the silence, looking over to Ruby.

"We'll find out next month".

The conversation took a turn and next thing they knew Mick was going on about wanting three kids and a farm. Annie started to loosen up after a couple drinks, Ruby remained on edge.

Beth stabbed a tomato with her fork, "I wanted a couple".

"You're the only reason I survived childhood, you'd be great. Rio, you?".

He locked eyes with Beth "yea".

The plan for the girls to leave after dinner was derailed when a thunderstorm rolled through. What kind of people would they be if they let them walk in the rain? Mick took the couch, Ruby and Annie shared the guest room, leaving Beth to question where she'd sleep. Would it be presumptuous to go into Rio's, or should she grab a few spare blankets from the closet and camp out on the floor.

Beth sat on the bed, legs crossed, answering as many questions as she could without compromising the investigation. They mostly wanted to know what her deal was with Rio. On paper he was a villain, yet in person he built model airplanes. 

"What are you going to do, B?".

"My job. I'll figure something out".

Annie popped a chip in her mouth, snacking to keep her mind off the fact they were spending the night at a gang house. She started to talk with her mouth full, only to stop when Ruby shot her a pointed glance. It was a pet peeve. "You could pay someone off, they do it in the movies all the time".

"That's bribery".

"And it's a felony," Ruby added, stealing a chip. "Did he really kidnap a doctor?".

Beth chortled at the memory, "yeah". 

It shouldn't be amusing, to any average person it would show just how in over their head they actually were. In a way it almost made them partners, equals and no matter how many times she cried out in pain in the middle of the night, he was there to hand her a glass of water and a pain pill.

"Let him live too" Rio interrupted, bracing himself against the door. "comin to bed?".

"In a second".

Annie waved as he left, raising her brows. Both of them could tell that locking Rio behind bars and throwing away the key wasn't something Beth wanted to do. They felt for her, they really did. Dean treated her terribly and thought of her as a trophy, a prize to show off to his friends. Neither of them could stand him and from what they could tell, no matter how twisted it was, Rio cared for her.

Beth moved from the bed, "I'll think of something".

She didn't have long to formulate a plan, because at the next briefing Nash told her the case was being handed off to Johnson and they were planning a bust. The FBI had her tailed in order to find his safe house and she felt betrayed, completely violated.

"They have you entering the residence, but you never leave, Beth".

"I went out the back. This is my case".

Nash shook his head, "It became Johnson's when Vladimir got involved. His body was found by the way, in a cemetery off I-90".

Beth wondered why Rio disappeared in the middle of the night. Much to her surprise, she didn't care.

She was in a race against time and luckily for her, Beth paid attention to who was sent for drug busts. Stan called them the three stooges: Frankie, Lenny and Michael. Of the three of them the easiest target would be Lenny, he had been working overtime to pay for hospital bills. 

Now Annie's suggestion of bribery was outlandish and could land her in even more hot water, but it was her last chance, she couldn't let them get their hands on Rio. They would start padding charges to his record, just in hopes of putting him away for life. Hell, if they had evidence racketeering alone could get him up to twenty. 

There'd be no more cookouts, no weddings, no children, no more them and Beth wasn't ready for that.

"Hey, Lenny" she entered the breakroom, sitting down beside him. He looked a little uneasy and Beth wouldn't put it past Nash to tell everyone she had been compromised, that she was willingly working with a bloodthirsty gang. "How much would it cost?".

"I don't want to be involved, Beth and neither should you".

"Everyone has a price, how much? I just need you to put the cuffs on Rio and forget to read him his rights".

"20". That was doable, that was roughly last month's cut. 

Beth wasn't in her right mind when she drove back to their place. If the bust was going down, she should be the furthest away from the scene, if anything to save her own ass. Beth felt the need to warn Rio, even if it meant exposing herself. 

She pulled her hands into her sleeves, actually feeling Rio's glare. He was pissed and rightfully so, at least he sent Mick out of the room, giving her a chance to explain herself.

"I...I stopped at week three. You, me, this was more important".

His jaw rocked in a way she hadn't seen since the Artie ordeal.

"I gave them Vladimir's name to throw them off, send them elsewhere, you know? I didn't think they'd follow me".

"When?".

Beth chewed at her lip, "a couple days ago, they noticed I didn't leave".

"Nah, when".

Oh, he wanted to know when the police would swarm his house, guns drawn and round everyone up. "Tomorrow, but I have a plan".

He scoffed, scratching his jaw.

"I do, just trust me. Rio-" tears brimmed her eyes, "you don't know how hard this was for me".

She wiped her nose on her sleeve and was shocked when Rio brought his thumb up to her chin, brushing away a few tears collecting at her dimple. 

The following day Beth went back to work and the only thing that made her feel like her past self, was driving down the streets of Detroit alongside Stan. 

The chief gave her a second chance, telling her that as long as she wasn't at Rio's house when they arrived and there was no tip off, she could return to her usual duties. It wasn't that simple though, Beth found herself missing pill drops and the long six hour drives up to Canada, playing scrabble with Rio on rainy days and designing hats with Mick. 

A dispatcher came over the radio for public disturbance, two men were arguing outside of a bar and threats were being tossed around. It was noon, they couldn't have waited until happy hour?

"You want to take lead for old times sake?" Stan asked, flipping the turning signal.

Beth picked up the walkie, "D85 responding, two minutes out".

Police work was a lot like riding a bicycle and it gave her a temporary distraction from what was going down elsewhere. By the time she got back to the station Mick would have discovered her true identity and Rio would be in an interrogation room, being hounded for crimes he didn't commit. 

Hopefully Lenny listened. She didn't have a chance to make sure he was on board before their shifts started, not that the chief let her out of his sight.

She waited, tapping her fingers against the table as the chief rounded the force for an emergency meeting. Beth knew what it was, so did Stan, of course Ruby had filled him in on all the details. He consoled her, rubbing her back as she blinked away a few tears, seeing the chief hang up Rio's new mugshot on the board.

His scruff, the eagle tattoo proudly on display, representing the _club_ he was in and the smug smile that she missed more than anything. Rio didn't run and that meant despite everything he still trusted her.

"Today we picked up Rio Vasquez, all thanks to the work of officer Johnson".

Stan was equally as dumbfounded, they only got Rio because of a tip Beth dropped. The force wasn't giving her any recognition.

"One of our responding officers forgot to read his rights, there was a scuffle. We're going to pool together our resources, we need something concrete to keep him in custody".

At least Lenny came through. 

Beth walked past the interrogation room, not listening to Stan's advice to stay away. Peeking in, she caught Rio's eye and he waved, as much as he could with his hands cuffed to the table.

Fuck it, if they weren't going to treat her like the valuable member she was, she was going to play by her own rules.

She handed over forty grand to Annie and told her to pay for Rio's bail. It would have been too obvious if she did it personally. It didn't sit well with Ruby and the last thing Beth wanted to do was stress out someone on their second trimester. 

Beth waited at his bar, downing shot after shot of tequila, each one burning her throat. 

"Bourbon". She twisted on the stool, hearing Rio's voice. It had been weeks since she saw him at the station. There were no texts, no calls and when she swung by his place it was empty. Beth didn't expect him to forgive her and she refused to beg, all she could do was wait and hope he came around to the fact that she didn't expect any of this to happen. Well, the arrest she knew about, the feelings were what took her by surprise. 

"Why you here, Elizabeth?".

Sliding her drink over, she clinked their glasses as if that answered his question. Rio rested his head on his fist, taking in her disheveled hair and sweatpants. "Suppose I should thank you for the bail, huh?".

"No, it was your money".

He breathed a laugh, taking a drink. "Right".

Rio closed out her tab, telling the bartender it was on the house. That had to be a good sign, right? Drunken thoughts were sober truths, she read that somewhere, probably in a bar bathroom during her college years and there were so many roaming around in her head.

"C'mon, mama, I'll take you home".

It was a long twenty minutes before Beth stopped recognizing her surroundings. Train tracks, a large fountain and what appeared to be a country club, yeah, they weren't going to her neighborhood. 

Rio pulled into the driveway of a home far too similar to his last safe house, and that's when it dawned on Beth, he was referring to his home. Hesitantly she followed him in, keeping a good distance in case Mick popped out. 

She pumped her breaks, sitting by the living room window was their orchid. It was vibrant and alive, taken care of in the same way they had together. "You didn't toss it".

"Nah".

"Why?" She was genuinely curious, he had more than one reason to destroy everything and anything she had touched.

"You wanna worry 'bout a plant or come to bed?".

Beth smiled, stepping around him and into his new bedroom. Lying on the pillow was a pair of handcuffs and she would've panicked if not for his eyes glued to her chest. She trailed a finger down her breast, keeping his attention, it was a fresh start for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! I can't wait to hear your thoughts! 
> 
> If you have any prompts for Brio, this universe or just want to talk Good Girls - I'm over on Tumblr @ xstrawmari


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